MMA News

Tag: Ronda Rousey

  • Archives: Liddell Says Rousey Needs Striking Help, Offers Training (2016)

    In this article published on this day six years ago, Chuck Liddell offered to help Ronda Rousey improve her striking skills after “Rowdy” suffered her first career loss at the hands of decorated striker Holly Holm at UFC 196.

    The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.

    On This Day Six Years Ago…

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 5, 2016, 1:19 PM]

    Title: Chuck Liddell Calls Holly Holm A “Real Striker,” Says Rousey Needs Help & Offers To Train Her

    TMZ.com recently caught up with UFC Hall Of Famer Chuck Liddell, who claims he would happily help Ronda Rousey train her striking, which he admitted she needs if she wants to beat UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion and former multiple-time women’s boxing champion Holly Holm in a rematch.

    “The Iceman” is one of the clearest-cut examples in the short history of MMA of an elite striker who only used his wrestling and grappling ability to avoid going to the ground or help him get back to his feet if he was taken down. For proof, look no further than the all-time record for knockouts in UFC history, which is still held by Liddell at 13 KOs in 23 appearances inside the Octagon.

    For the record, former women’s boxing champion Laila Ali agrees with Liddell as well.

    Liddell was asked about Rousey’s trainer Edmond Tarverdyan, who as a former professional boxing trainer is the man responsible for Rousey’s level of striking ability, and admitted that she isn’t on former women’s boxing champion Holly Holm’s level when it comes to striking.

    “Is it the guy who told her she could out-strike Holly Holm? Is that the same guy?” said Liddell in sarcastic fashion when asked about Tarverdyan by the TMZ reporter.

    After the comedic portion of his response, Liddell followed up with a politically correct statement regarding the improvement Tarverdyan has helped Rousey obtain in the striking department since the former Olympic gold medalist in Judo made the transition to mixed-martial-arts.

    “Ronda’s striking has greatly improved. He’s done a great job with her striking,” said Liddell after giving his opinion that Holm is still on another level in the striking department compared to Rousey. Liddell pointed out the fact that there’s a significant gap in talent between a “real pro striker,” which he called Holm, and Rousey, who is a decorated Judo player that has been adding striking to her game the past few years.

    Whether or not Rousey seeks out Liddell’s assistance in helping her further develop her stand-up game remains to be seen, however, she may have a chance to prove he and the critics wrong as it was announced by UFC President Dana White this week that November is when Rousey is likely to fight for the title, as she is expected to challenge the winner of the UFC 196 co-main event between Holly Holm and Miesha Tate for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship.

    Unfortunately for Rousey, she will have to do it without help from Edmond Tarverdyan on fight night.

  • Quote: Harrison Is P4P Best Female Fighter Ever, Not Rousey/Nunes

    According to Dominance MMA Management CEO Ali Abdelaziz, Kayla Harrison is the pound-for-pound greatest female fighter of all time.

    In the space of three-and-a-half years, Harrison has rapidly grown from a newcomer to the sport to the hottest free agent in MMA. In doing so, she’s collected 12 wins, including five by knockout and five by submission, two PFL world championships, and a handsome $2 million in prize money.

    Having added those accolades to her already illustrious career in combat sports, which includes back-to-back Olympic gold medals at London 2012 and in Rio de Janeiro four years later, the 31-year-old has quickly entered the female GOAT conversation, at least according to her manager.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CYrLabTh4XJ/

    While some believe she first has to prove herself in the UFC before surpassing the likes of former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and former two-division titleholder and reigning featherweight queen Amanda Nunes, Harrison’s manager sees things differently.

    During a recent interview with MMA Junkie’s Danny Segura, Abdelaziz, who also manages the likes of Kamaru Usman, Henry Cejudo, Justin Gaethje, and Khabib Nurmagomedov, claimed Harrison has already established herself as the best P4P female fighter we’ve ever seen enter the cage.

    “Listen, let’s make this clear today, Kayla Harrison is the pound-for-pound greatest female fighter we’ve ever seen,” said Abdelaziz. “It’s not Ronda, we’ve seen what happened to Amanda, it’s not Julianna Peña, it’s Kayla Harrison. This girl, she was born to collect gold. There’s not a woman on the planet, and some of the men too, born to beat Kayla Harrison.”

    PFL Is The “Frontrunner” For Harrison’s Signature

    Harrison has been a free agent ever since her dominant victory over Taylor Guardado at the 2021 PFL Finals last October. Having previously suggested the rising promotion would have to offer her a significantly more lucrative deal to retain her services, and after appearing at both Bellator and UFC events, it seemed an arrival on fresh land was likely.

    However, it now looks like fans could be set for another season of Harrison inside the PFL cage. During his conversation with Segura, Abdelaziz confirmed that the PFL is the frontrunner for her signature. However, he said nothing has been signed as of yet.

    “Right now, PFL is the frontrunner. I’ve seen a report that she’s signed with the PFL, that is not a correct,” asserted Abdelaziz. “She’s still a free agent. But at the end of the day, listen, PFL have been great to her. They’re being great to all of us… A couple things need to happen, and is in the process, and I think, you know, PFL is looking really good right now.”

    In another interview from Segura, Harrison herself confirmed the report, which came out a number of weeks ago. Despite revealing that the UFC had made a “good starting offer,” she suggested her immediate future will likely see her target a third PFL title and a third $1 million check.

    Do you think another season with the PFL is the best choice for Kayla Harrison’s career?

  • (Archives) Rogan: McGregor “Will Manipulate Leverage” In MMA (2017)

    The following article was published on this day five years ago. It is presented in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.

    On This Day Five Years Ago…

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 30, 2017, 3:29 PM]

    Headline: Joe Rogan: Conor McGregor “Will Manipulate Leverage” in “Star Driven” MMA

    Author: Adam Haynes

    Joe Rogan and friends theorize on a new dawn in MMA, and discuss Conor McGregor’s announcement on the newly established ‘McGregor Promotions’.

    McGregor had numerous topics to discuss with Ariel Helwani on Saturday in Manchester, England, including a potential bout with Floyd Mayweather, Ronda Rousey and the soon-to-come birth of his first child.

    The current UFC lightweight champion also announced the birth of ‘McGregor Promotions,’ insisting that he will look to co-promote any Mayweather match with the UFC and the boxer’s company, but with considerable conditions:

    “Everyone’s got to know their place,” McGregor said. “There’s Mayweather Promotions, there’s the UFC and now there’s the newly formed McGregor Promotions. And we’re all in the mix.”

    Joe Rogan spoke with ex-UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub and others on Saturday’s installment of their ‘Fight Companion’ podcast, and hypothesized on the rapid evolution of MMA:

    “It’s going to become what boxing is. It’s going to become that. It’s star-driven” Rogan said. “when it’s star-driven like that, guys like Conor who are legitimate stars, they have the leverage. And they’re going to manipulate that leverage. They’re going to utilize that leverage and we’re going to see what happens”.

    You can watch the full clip below:

    https://youtu.be/0RQMgXH3nsE

  • (Archives) Joanna: Rousey & I Paid The Price For Weight Cuts (2018)

    The following article published on this day four years ago is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.

    On This Day Four Years Ago…

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 29, 2018, 1:05 PM]

    Headline: Jędrzejczyk On Rousey: ‘We Paid The Price For Weight Cuts’

    Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.

    Joanna Jędrzejczyk believes she suffered the consequences of a bad weight cut as did Ronda Rousey.

    Jędrzejczyk was last seen inside the Octagon back in November. She defended the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) strawweight title against Rose Namajunas. In a shocking upset, Namajunas finished Jędrzejczyk in the opening frame to capture the 115-pound gold.

    After the fight, the former strawweight titleholder dropped Perfecting Athletes and blamed them for a poor weight cut. She believes that newly minted WWE superstar Ronda Rousey has also been the victim of a weight cut gone wrong. Jędrzejczyk says it played a major factor in her performance against Holly Holm.

    During an appearance on MMAFighting.com‘s “The MMA Hour,” Jędrzejczyk explained the dangers of weight cutting:

    “The funny thing is, people don’t believe that your brain can be frozen, but the weight cut can change the game. It can and that’s the worse thing. It can (happen) and this is what happened to me and Ronda. We paid the price for the weight cuts and that’s the thing.”

    She also offered a response to the critics.

    “They didn’t go through the weight cut, so they don’t understand. They don’t understand what we had to go through, but one day I will explain to all of them.”

    Sound off in the comments below. Do you believe bad weight cuts are to blame for the fall of Ronda Rousey and Jędrzejczyk s first loss?

  • Archives: Cyborg On Ronda Rousey’s Loss: It’s Sad (2016)

    The following story from six years ago is published in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.

    On This Day Six Years Ago…

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 15, 2016, 11:57 AM]

    Headline: Cyborg On Rousey’s Loss: It’s Sad, I Can’t Say Anything Bad About Her

    After years of trash-talk, Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino seems to be developing a soft spot for Ronda Rousey.

    During a recent interview, Justino shared her thoughts on the public reaction to Rousey’s first MMA loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November. Cyborg explained why no fighter likes to lose, however, she admits it does show you who really has your back and who doesn’t.

    Cyborg offered the following comments regarding Rousey’s loss while promoting her own title defense against Daria Ibragimova at the Invicta FC 15 this Saturday, relating to the former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion because of her own past troubles in public when she dealt with the reaction to her failed steroid test.

    “It’s terrible. When you’re there, everybody is with you. I feel sorry about this. I know this, because before something happened in my career — the doping — and before everybody is with you [and then they’re not]. But I love my fans. Some fans kept with me and I’m sure she has that, too. It’s sad, but sometimes it’s good so you can see who’s with you. You can see who you really have to appreciate. This is not nice. Losing a fight, winning — it happens. But these people make fun. … I know it’s not nice.”

    While she is understanding of the situation, she did say that Rousey should use this experience to work on being careful about what she says before a fight, pointing out the fact that it might come back around if you lose.

    “I know she hurts now and I know depression. Always you can lose. You can lose, you can win. It’s not embarrassing. It’s embarrassing when you speak before you fight. It’s embarrassing speaking bad. I think you have to work hard on what you say, because if you lose, when you come back from the airport you have to have a pillow on your face. I think she’d like to use this to challenge herself and get better. To come in and change. Something bad in life has to happen before you change and grow. I can’t say anything bad about her. She’s been good for women’s MMA. She opened a lot of doors. I know I [fought] before her, but she had opportunities and she’s handled it and helped everybody.”

  • Peña Would Love To Bring Ronda Rousey Out Of Retirement For Grudge Match

    Julianna Peña is already sorting out opponents for her championship reign.

    It has been just one month since Julianna Peña became UFC bantamweight champion, but she is already making a list of possible opponents. The top name on her dream list is a well-known name, but no longer in the UFC. Peña has a desire to lure Ronda Rousey back from retirement to settle an old score between them.

    Peña got her start in the UFC as a member of The Ultimate Fighter Season 18. That season was coached by Rousey and Miesha Tate. Peña was a member of Tate’s team and also a friend of hers. Throughout the season, there was a lot of hatred between the coaches and Peña. Being friendly with Tate, Peña took some of that hate from Rousey as well.

    “She really had a tough time getting along with me on The Ultimate Fighter,” Peña told The NY Post. “She didn’t like me at all because I was friends with Miesha Tate. She wasn’t the nicest.”

    Rousey has a very successful run as the champion of the bantamweight division but hung up her gloves back in 2016. After a short time with the WWE, Rousey is now out of combat sports and raising a family. That doesn’t stop Peña from calling her out though. She would welcome a shot at that former champ if she ever got the itch to return.

    “It would be amazing to pull Ronda Rousey back out of retirement,” She said. “It would be great to have her come back to UFC and fight again.”

    Peña is just beginning her run as the 135-pound champion and has already done something Rousey could not, beat Amanda Nunes. Peña is not holding out for Rousey at this time but she is still holding a grudge.

    “I don’t know that she’ll recall this because she ended up getting taken out by her entire team,” Peña said. “But when we won ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ and got out of the house, she told me that, ‘You’re gonna give me a tougher fight than Miesha Tate, but when that day comes I’m still gonna kick your ass….’ I kind of said to her, ‘We’ll see.”

    Would you like to see Ronda Rousey return to the UFC and face Julianna Peña?

  • (Archives) Quote: WWE Won’t Want “Broken” Rousey After UFC 207 (2017)

    On this day five years ago, we ran a story about former WWE personality Jonathan Coachman stating that the WWE would never want Ronda Rousey after Rousey’s crushing loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. One year later, this happened…

    Ronda Rousey wins Raw Women's Title at Summerslam - Sports Matters TV

    The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form courtesy of the MMA News Archives.

    On This Day Five Years Ago…

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 8, 2017, 7:08 PM]

    Headline: Jonathan Coachman: WWE Won’t Be Interested In “Broken Star” Rousey After UFC 207

    Former WWE broadcast team member turned ESPN analyst Jonathan Coachman made headlines in the MMA world this week.

    In a new interview with SIRIUS-XM “Busted Open Radio Show,” Coachman spoke about Rousey’s devastating 48-second knockout loss to Amanda Nunes in the main event of UFC 207, her second KO loss in a row inside the Octagon. The current ESPN analyst who came up in the sports / sports media industry, spent years working on-camera in WWE before making the transition to ESPN, claims his former place of employment won’t have much interest in the pioneer of Women’s MMA any longer.

    “When she lost, not only was she devastated but she admitted that some thoughts that went through her head were not good ones,” said Coachman, before adding, “Hopefully, she understands that she [has] gone much [further] than almost any female in really sports in the last 15 years.”

    “The Coach” continued, “As far as WWE is concerned, they don’t bring in .. and I refer to her as a broken star .. because that’s what she is, she’s broken from a professional sense .. they don’t rebuild broken celebrities outside of the WWE.”

    According to Coachman, who works alongside Bellator MMA star and former UFC title contender Chael Sonnen on multiple recent ESPN broadcasts covering MMA, Rousey “showed a lot

    “They go after, if you’re bringing in somebody from the outside, they go after people with a certain type of makeup and Ronda Rousey showed all of us that, how she responded to a loss, showed a lot about what she’s made of,” Coachman explained. “I’m not saying that’s good, I’m not saying that’s bad, I’m just saying as far as the kind of person you want to go after and build a program around. To bring her in the WWE and build up this perception of what her reality is not, you can’t do that.”

    Coachman concluded, “And you can’t disappear, guys, for 13 months from the fight game and then come back and expect all of us to think you’re going to be as nasty as you were before.”

  • (Archives) Rogan: Rousey Needs “Massive Overhaul” To Beat Holm (2016)

    Six years ago today, we covered Joe Rogan breaking down what would be needed in order for Ronda Rousey to defeat Holly Holm after her lopsided loss at UFC 193. Once a believer that Rousey could defeat half of the men’s bantamweight roster and Floyd Mayweather, after witnessing “Rowdy’s” first MMA loss, Rogan’s tone shifted.

    The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.

    On this day six years ago…

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 1, 2016, 9:45 AM]

    Headline: Joe Rogan Says Rousey Needs “Massive Overhaul” If She Wants To Beat Holm In Rematch

    Author: Matt Boone

    While there is still a lot of talk about the fight after the fact, it is UFC commentator Joe Rogan who continues to be the most vocal about the potential rematch between Ronda Rousey and UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm.

    Rogan recently spoke with BloodyElbow.com and said Rousey needs to replace Edmond Tarverdyan.

    “Ronda’s got to go to a camp that has the full arsenal,” Rogan told Stephie Haynes of Bloody Elbow. “She’s got to go to a Firas Zahabi or a Matt Hume, or someone like that, in my opinion. If I was talking to her, that’s what I would tell her. I’d say, ‘You can’t just train with a judo coach and Edmond holds the pads for you.’

    “Edmond has definitely done some great things for her boxing technique, that can’t be denied. Her combinations when she hits the pads are very impressive, but there are other elements that come with striking. It’s not just about throwing your hands and having the technique look good.”

    Rogan elaborated, explaining why he feels Rousey needs a “massive overhaul” if she wants to have a chance at winning her title back from the former multiple-time women’s boxing champion.

    “I think she needs someone who will objectively assess her game as an outsider, not someone like Edmond, who trained her from the beginning with mitts; she needs someone else, as well. She needs someone who is going to be able to look at the big picture of her overall MMA game, and then rebuild.

    “She’s gonna need a massive overhaul. When we talk about MMA being high level problem solving, Holly Holm solved the problem. She had all the answers and she got a f*cking A+.”

    Rogan, who juggles a stand-up comedy career with his UFC announcing duties, knows what it takes to make it in both worlds. The biggest factor that allows him to be both a celebrity and fight announcer is the fact that he doesn’t have three or four month camps and an insane amount of media obligations for his UFC announcing gigs. It is this reason why Rogan insists “Rowdy” Ronda needs to decide whether she wants to be a “gigantic celebrity” or “the best fighter on the planet.”

    “The other advice to Ronda Rousey is you’ve got to figure out what you want to do. Do you want to be a gigantic celebrity or do you want to be the best fighter on the planet? Because if you want to be the best fighter on the planet, you have to pursue that only. I think with this movie bullshit, she could pull it off with some of the girls with all these distractions and all this nonsense, but I don’t think they allow her the amount of resources–mental, physical, everything…all of the above–€”that she’s going to need at her disposal to be the very best that she can be.

    “You don’t want to be good enough, you want to be the best that you can be. I don’t think she was the best that she could be. In my eyes, she was not properly prepared for that fight, whether physically or technically.”

  • (Archives) Watch: MVP Mocks Ronda Rousey With New Dance (2017)

    The entire MMA world was abuzz over Ronda Rousey’s second KO straight loss in what would ultimately be her final bout in the UFC. Among those to chime in was Bellator’s Michael Venom Page (MVP).

    The following article was published five years ago today. It is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.

    On This Day Five Years Ago…

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 1, 2017, 3:25 PM]

    Headline: Michael Page Pokes Fun at Ronda Rousey With Dance

    Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.

    It’s no secret that Bellator’s Michael Page is flashy and flamboyant. The welterweight has turned some heads with his fighting style and highlight-reel knockouts. His stunning flying knee knockout of Evangelista Santos caused “Cyborg” to suffer a fractured skull.

    “Venom’s” flashiness has transitioned outside the cage. He took to his Instagram account to ring in the new year. He has created a new “Do the Rousey” dance. In the video, Page mocks “Rowdy’s” defense in her women’s bantamweight title fight against Amanda Nunes at UFC 207.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30XOnleTw_w

    Rousey was starched by “The Lioness” in 48 seconds at the final Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event of 2016. It was “Rowdy’s” first bout since she was knocked out by Holly Holm in Nov. 2015. Following her second straight knockout defeat, the Internet has exploded with jokes and memes at her expense.

    Count “MVP” in as one of those taking full advantage.

    Page has yet to taste defeat with a 12-0 record and has competed for Bellator eight times. While Page is known for his exciting style, his last bout with Fernando Gonzalez was seen by many as a snoozer. “Venom” walked away with a split decision win.

  • (Archives) Jones: What Rousey Does Next Will Determine Legacy (2017)

    After Ronda Rousey was knocked out for the second time after once being viewed as an unstoppable force, everyone in the MMA community pondered what might be next for her and where she’d go from there. That includes former light heavyweight king Jon Jones.

    Rousey has not competed since the loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in 2016.

    The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.

    On This Day Five Years Ago…

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 1, 2017, 11:28 AM]

    Headline: Jon Jones On Ronda Rousey’s Loss: “What She Does Next Will Truly Determine Her Legacy”

    Author: Matt Boone

    Many have reacted to the second professional MMA loss UFC mega-star Ronda Rousey suffered at the hands of UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes in their 48-second main event at UFC 207 this past Friday night, the latest of which is a teammate of the first woman that handed Rousey the taste of defeat, Holly Holm, as Jon “Bones” Jones has chimed in with his thoughts on the matter.

    Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones, who is currently serving a one-year suspension for testing positive ahead of his scheduled rematch with Daniel Cormier at the landmark UFC 200 event in July of 2016, took to social media this weekend where he posted a series of tweets to Rousey regarding her loss to Nunes.

    “My advice to Ronda [Rousey] would be to pick yourself up and try again,” wrote Jones. “I believe Rousey will be a champion for the rest of her life, even if she never wins another fight I think it’s important for Ronda to show her fans how great she truly is by displaying her courage and giving it another try.”

    Jones continued, “What she does next will truly determine her legacy. I really hope she chooses to be a unbroken. Her story doesn’t have to be over here. I also still believe she beats 90% of the division. Lots of ass kicking still to be done, lots of money to be made.”

    Agreeing with what has been a big part of the story coming out of both of her losses, Jones pointed to the team and coaches Rousey currently works with as something that he feels would be wise to address if she were to consider a return to the Octagon.

    “Maybe she just needs to [compliment] her coach with an MMA family,” Jones continued. “Maybe she should join one of the bigger MMA teams. Being around other bad asses and constantly sharing your spotlight could be good for you [in] so many ways.”

    “They can improve on your humility,” said Jones. “Constantly being humbled is never a bad thing in a sport like this.”

    For video highlights of Ronda Rousey’s 48-second TKO loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 from this past Friday night, click here. You can also view Jones’ tweets below. 

  • Flashback To Peña Letting Rousey Know Who Was BW’s Biggest “Bully”

    UFC 269 headliner Julianna Peña has never been one to bite her tongue.

    Tonight, Julianna Peña will look to back up her hefty pre-fight talk when she takes on Amanda Nunes in the UFC 269 main event. One might even say that Peña has been attempting to bully Nunes ahead of their bout. Of course, Nunes has never been one to back down, and we saw that in the UFC 269 pre-fight press conference.

    Nevertheless, Peña has always been assertive and strong-willed, even when women’s MMA was synonymous with alpha female “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey.

    Ronda Rousey
    Image Credit: Getty Images

    In 2015, Peña came to Arianny Celeste’s defense against the “bully” Ronda Rousey, and she didn’t stop there. She returned with some more choice words for the then UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion.

    During an appearance on Submission Radio in March of 2015, Peña shared her thoughts on a potential match against the former 135-pound champ.

    “Where I would hold the advantage is that I would not be mentally broken before the fight ever started, which I feel is sometimes to me – in my opinion – what seems to be the case with these other women that are facing her,” said Pena.

    Julianna Pena, Ronda Rousey
    Julianna Pena, Ronda Rousey

    “They already look dead upon arrival when they’re in the cage with her and I refuse to be shaken,” Pena continued. “I’ve been bullied my whole life and I just feel like she’s been a bully, and I feel like in the sense that I’m the bully and I’m a bigger bully than she can imagine, and I think that I would also have the advantage in the sense that I’m not afraid wherever the fight goes.”

    In the same aggressive fashion that Peña called for a fight against Amanda Nunes, she was equally as vocal about potentially facing Ronda Rousey for years. However, that “battle of the bullies” never materialized.

    Fortunately for us, though, the fight between Peña and Nunes has and will go down in a matter of hours at UFC 269.

    Who do you think would have won a fight between Julianna Peña and Ronda Rousey?